More than 2.6 million miles of regulated pipelines are in operation in the United States today. The Integrity of these steel pipelines is monitored periodically using Smart Pigs which travel through the internal diameter of these lines measuring wall thickness, dents and corrosion effects as they travel. This is an expensive but somewhat effective process for assessing the integrity of steel pipelines as required by state and federal regulations, and enforced by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). These same requirements will also apply to most, if not all, international regulatory bodies.
However, the use of pipes, conduits, pipelines or systems that are non-corrosive, non-metallic reinforced or partially metallic reinforced (referred to as composite pipes herein) in regulated pipelines has been increasing rapidly over the last several years. The techniques described above and used for integrity monitoring of steel pipelines, measurement of wall thickness and corrosion effects, are not effective on composite pipelines. Further, there are significant differences in the failure modes between steel pipelines and composite pipelines. Pipeline operators and regulators have long been seeking an effective method for assessing the integrity of composite pipelines.
This invention relates to novel apparatuses and methods that are single items, but can act as a system that provides an effective means for assessing composite pipeline integrity as desired by pipeline operators, state, federal and international regulatory agencies.
This novel invention comprises multiple parts, whereas the parts can function independently, but can form a system comprising; 1) Multiplicity of discreet sensors embodied into the composite pipeline, which measures and records a package of predetermined engineering data, 2) an internal reader/activator which can measure non sensor related data, or can excite sensors to collect, analyze and report the data from sensors, and 3) a multi-mode internal reader/activator and an automatic launch and retrieve system that may be operated manually, remotely, or automatically, based on data received and analyzed from any sensing or monitoring systems on the pipeline.
This novel invention includes a multi internal reader/activator and an automatic launch and retrieve system that is operated based on data received and analyzed from any sensing or monitoring systems on the pipeline or any control or monitoring systems from a remote location from which the pipeline is operated. This novel invention relates to any type of composite pipes, pipelines and conduits.
The present invention is particularly suited to the composite pipe manufactured by Smart Pipe Company Inc., with multilayered assembly with a core solid HDPE pipe with high strength, low weight helical reinforcement fabric layers and axial pull tapes to allow reduction in cross section shape such as “C-forming” and pulling composite pipe in extreme lengths of as much as 10 miles. For such extreme installations, the present invention is essential to monitoring stress, temperature, and leakage in the composite pipe and the host pipe.